Invalid bed accessory



J. A. JOHNSON INVALID BED ACCESSORY Aug. 8, 1939.

Sheets-Sheet 1 LBS Filed July 3, 1937 I 7221672257?" j/ZlwaL /ZizUm QM; mam

1939. J. A. JOHNSON 2,168,649

INVALID BED ACCESSORY f? JMQn/LZMW Patented Aug. 8, 1939 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I Q mvanm fizfi rzcassoar .wi llili. '.L;,"I;Z.,;2if.'2;?.'l.....

6 Claims.

I This invention relates to apparatus for use in connection with hospital beds and the like by which a bedridden patient maybe moved into various positions most suited to his comfort and patients body or simultaneously or independently. thereof to elevate the knees, and also separately 20 to elevate one end of the mattress frame as a wholeso as to place the patient in an inclined position while lying prone upon the mattress.

Furthermore, my invention contemplates a par-v tial utilization only of the entire mechanism so 25 that merely the back rest portion may be applied to an ordinary bed and may be automatically raised .and lowered to position theupper portion of the patients body at any desired inclination.

A further purpose of the invention is to pro- 80 vide an apparatus'which can be manipulated and controlled by the patient himself, so that he may change his position at'will withoutthe assistance of an attendant, thereby contributing materially to the patients comfort.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which will operate smoothly and without imparting vibrations, shocks, or jars to the bed or to the patient and one which can be economically manufactured and readily attached at relatively 40 small expense to a standard hospital bed.

Other objects and many of the attendant ad-' vantages of my invention will be readily appreciated as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following description when con- 45 sidered in connection with the accompanying drawings. a

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hospital bed equipped with my invention; 80 Fig. 2 is a diagram of the electric circuits employed; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic view, partially in section, showing various details of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, ref-- 84 erence character 5 indicates the head, 8 the foot,

and I the side rails of a standard hospital bed, including the mattress or spring frame 8 pivoted at 9 to the head and supported at its opposite end upon the brackets ll.

My invention contemplates an auxiliary or sup- 5 plemental frame adapted to be attached to and to overlie the frame 8 and, as will be apparent from Fig. 1, comprises a section l2 secured by clamps l3, or otherwise, to the frame 8, a back rest section pivoted to the section I2 at l5, 10 an upper leg section l8 pivoted to the fixed section I! at I! and a lower leg section I8 pivoted to the section "5 at l9. Normally all sections of the supplemental frame will lie flat upon the frame 8. and support the mattress 2i in horil5 zontal position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. A supporting frame 22 extending transversely of the bed is clamped or otherwise fixed to the side rails I and carries the mechanism for operating the back rest section. A pivoted yoke or bail 23 suspended from the side members of the frame 22, as at 24, affords a support for a hydraulic cylinder 25 and a piston 26 is attached to a rod 21 extending through the top of the cylinder and pivotally connected at its upper end, 25 as indicated by 28, to the back rest section l4.

Fluid such as oil is supplied to the cylinder beneath the piston through a pipe 29 connected with a riser 3| which, through an elbow 32, is connected with the discharge side of a rotary'30 pressure pump 33. This pump is mounted in a closed chamber 34 which is partially filled with oil and is driven through the gearing 35, or other suitable driving connection, by an electric motor 36. The motor and the chamber are supported 35 upon a base 31 suspended by rods 38 from th frame 22. g

.A pipe 39 connected with the pump discharge opens into the upper part of the chamber and is provided with a shut-off valve 4|, the stem 42 of which is provided with an arm 43 outside the chamber adapted to be operated by a flexible rod or wire 44 to open and close the valve. It will be apparent that when the pump is operated oil will be delivered from the chamber 34, with which 5 the intake side of the pump communicates through an intake port 45, through pipes 32, 3|, and 29, to the cylinder 25, to thereby elevate the piston 26 and raise the back rest section l4 to any desired inclined position, one position being shown in full lines in Fig. 1. When the motor is stopped the back rest will be retained in that position by a check valve 46 which precludes reverse flow of the oil from the cylinder. At such times the valve 4| is closed. When it is. de-

a hydraulic cylinder 6i, similar to cylinder 26, which is equipped with a piston 62 and a rod 66 projecting through the top of the cylinder. The

frame section I6 is provided intermediate it! ends with a cross-piece 66 having an abutment 66 adapted to be engaged by the upper end of the rod .66, whereby, when the rod isprojectedupwardly, the section l6 and the pivotally attached section l6 will be elevated into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or to intermediate position, as desired, thereby elevating the knees of the patient.

The frame 6 is similarly equipped with a crosspiece 66 provided with an abutment 61 adapted to be engaged by the upper end of rod 66, so that instead of elevating the knee rest portion of the supplemental frame, the cylinder 6i may be utilized to elevate the foot end of theframe 6 as a whole about the head pivot 6 to thereby disposethe frame in aninclined position.

For purposes of swinging the cylinder upon its supporting ball 46 from a position beneath the abutment 19 to a position beneath the abutment 61, a rod 66 is connected at one end with the cylinder and at its other end with a lever 66 fulcrumed at 6i to a plate 62 at the side of the bed, a hand operating lever or handle 66 being fixedly associated with the. lever 66 so that by swinging the lever 66 in a counter-clockwise. direction (viewing Fig. l) the cylinder 6i may be swung from operative position with respect to frame section I6 to operative position with respect to the frame 6. This change of position with consequent change in result can be readily effected by the. patient, since the operating lever 66 is in.

convenient positionatthe side of the bed.

Piston 62 is hydraulically operated by oil or similar liquid inthe same manner as piston'26, and for this purpose oil is supplied to cylinder 5i beneath piston 62 through a pipe 64 connected by a T includinga two-way valve 66 with .the pipe 6|. .This valve is connected through a link and lever 66 with a hand lever 61 which can bemanipulated by the patient to direct the oil from the pump either tocylinder 26 or to cylinder 61 at will.

A hollow arm 66 pivoted to the head of the bed,.so that it may be swung into convenient position for the patient or may be swung out of the way, carries a control box 69 provided with a fixed switch element ll interposed in the electric. lead lines 12 of the electric circuit which is connected with a source of power through an ordinary plug 16. A movable element 16 adapted to closethe circuit across the terminals of II is mounted in the control box in' position to be elevated into the dotted line position shown in.

Fig. 3 by a cam,|6 fixed upon a shaft 16 which extends outside one face of the control box where it is equipped with an operating. handle 11 in positionaccessible to the patient. Normally this lever will stand in the off position indicated in Fig. 3, but. when elevating movement is desired the patient swings the lever to the up position illustrated, thereby) closing the motor circuit to cause the pump to supply oil under pressure to one or the other of the cylinders 26 or 6|, as

determined by the position of control lever 61, to elevate the back rest or the knee rest, as desired.

A lever 16 fixed on the shaft 16 is connected with the flexible wire or rod 64 extending through the arm 66 to operate the valve ll. When control lever 11 is in the up position indicated in Fig. 3 valve II will be closed. When the patient desires to lower the backor knee rest, control lever. 11 is moved to dowh position, thereby openingwalve ll and permitting the escape of oil from an elevating cylinder back into the chamber 66.

In order to limit'the upward movement of the elevating pistons and to stop the motor when the desired elevation has been reached, the motor circuit includes two lines I! and ii in which are interposed the switches 62 and 66,respectively. These switches are mounted on thecylinders 6i and 26 and are adapted to be operated by abutment fingers carried by the piston rods. Rod 21, for instance, carries an angularbar or rod 66 provided. with abutment fingers 66 and 66 adapted, respectively, to open and close switch 66 when the rod 21 is in its upper or lower positions. The extent of upward movement may be varied by adjusting the position of the abutment finger 66 on the rod 66. Similarly, switch 62 is controlled -by abutment fingers 61 and 66 mounted on rod v66 carried by piston rod 66.

The two lines 16 :and 6i are rendered alternately operative by a control cam 6i carried by the shaft 62 on which control lever 61 is mounted. This cam is interposed between switch members .61 and 66 adapted to alternately cooperate witha fixed terminal 66 connected with line 12..

I1, tor instance, lever 61 is set to direct all from thepump to cylinder 26 through valve 66, switch member 66 will contact terminal 66, while the circuit through line 19 will be broken by depression of switch member 66. Also, if control lever 61. be set to deliver oil to cylinder 6i through valve 66, the cam 6| in this position of lever 61' willopen the line 6i and close the line I6.

The mode of operation of my invention is substantially as follows:

Assuming that the mattress is horizontal and that the patient desires to elevate the backrest l4, he moves lever 61 in position to shut ofl pipes 66 and permit delivery of oil through pipe 6i and 26 to cylinder 26. He then swings lever 11 to up position, closing valve 4| and closing the motor circuit," thereby causing .the delivery of oil under pressure from the pumpinto cylinder 26 to elevate the backrest. If he desires to stop the ielevation in an intermediate position, he may do so by simply swinging the control lever 'II to oil position. If, however, he desires full elevation, he lets the motor run until it is stopped by switch 66 when the abutment finger 66 in its upward movement throws the switch into open' position. I

Should the patient now desire to elevate the knee rest also, he swings control lever 61 into position to direct oil through valve 66 and pipe 64 into cylinder 6i and adjusts lever 11 to start the pump. The extent of elevation of the knee rest may be determined by the operator or will be automatically stopped byswitch 62, as has been previously explained.

In order to lower one or both of the rests, the patient manipulates control lever ll to open valve 6i, thereby releasing the pressure in. the

elevating cylinder determined by the position of control lever 61 and the rest returns to horizontal position by gravity.

Should the patient desire to elevate the foot of the mattress as a whole, he manipulates lever 63 when all of the parts are in lowered position, thereby bringing rod 53 into cooperative relation with abutment 51, whereupon the motor is started to perform the lifting operation, as previously explained.

Obviously the principles of my invention may be embodied in a bed structure as a permanent part thereof, or the appliance may be attached to a standard bed as exemplified in the drawings. It should be noted also that for cheaper installations the knee rest sections and the operating mechanism therefor may be entirely eliminated,

leaving the back rest section and its operating mechanism as a unitary accessory for attachment to any standard hospital bed.

It is believed that my invention and many of its inherent advantages will be understood without further description, but it should be appreciated that the structural details illustrated and described may be varied within wide limits without departing from the essence of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an accessory for an invalid bed having a bed frame, the combination of a pivotally mounted back rest adapted to be pivotally supported on the bed frame, a swinging arm adapted to be mounted to swing about a vertical axis on the bed frame, acontrol box carried by the outer end of said arm and adapted to be swung horizontally above the bed into position accessible to an occupant of the bed, means including a motor, a pump, a pipe line leading from the pump and a hydraulically operable piston adapted to be mounted on the bed frame and operatively connected with said pipe line for actuating said back rest, a valve for controlling the fluid flow in said pipe line, a motor control switch,.and a control lever carried by said control box and arranged to actuate said switch and said valve for controlling the actuations of said back rest. v

2. In an accessory for an invalid bed, the combination of a mattress supporting frame comprising a plurality of pivotally connected sections, hydraulic means including a pump and a piston for elevating one of said sections about its pivot, an electric motor connected to operate said pump, a horizontally swinging arm adapted to be mounted on the bed and provided with a control box adapted to be swung-toe. position above the bed accessible to the bed occupant, a motor con-- trol switch in said box, a control valve for the ,hydraulic means, a control lever on. the box, and

connections fromv said lever to said switch and valve for operating the same to cause the raising and lowering at will of said one pivotally-mountad section.

3. The combination with a hospital bed of a frame pivotally connected thereto at one end,

a supplemental frame comprising a plurality of pivotally connected sections, one of said sections being attached to said first mentioned frame,

hydraulic elevating mechanism including a motor,

frame or said section of said supplemental frame at will upon actuation of said elevating mechanism.

4. The combination with a hospital bed of a frame pivotally connected thereto at one end, a supplemental frame comprising a plurality of pivotally connected sections, one of said sections being attached to said first mentioned frame, elevating mechanism adjustably carried by said bed, abutments carried by said frame and by a section of said supplemental frame, and manually controlled means for selectively positioning said elevating mechanism in cooperative relation to the abutment of said frame or the abutment of said section to thereby enable the elevation of said frame or said section of said supplemental frame at will upon actuation of said elevating mechanism.

5. In an accessory for a hospital bed having a bed frame pivotally connected thereto at one end and a supplemental frame comprising a plurality of pivotally connected sections, one of said sections being pivotally connected to said first frame, and abutments carried by said frame and a section of said supplemental frame, the combination of hydraulic elevating mechanism including a motor, a pump, a cylinder adapted to be adjustably carried by said bed and a piston therein provided with a rod extending upwardly from said cylinder, and means for selectively positioning said cylinder so as to dispose said rod in cooperative relation to the abutment of said frame or the abutment of said section to thereby enable the elevation of said frame or said section of said supplemental frame at will upon the actuation of said elevating mechanism.

6. In an accessory for a hospital bed having a bed frame pivotally connected thereto at one end and a supplemental frame comprising a plurality of pivotally connected sections, one of said sections being pivotally connected to said first frame, and abutments carried by said frame and a section of said supplemental frame, the combination of elevating mechanism adapted to be adjustably carried by said bed, and means for selectively positioning said elevating mechanism in cooperative relation to the abutment of said frame or the abutment of said section tothereby enable the elevation of said frame or said section of said supplemental frame at will upon actuation of said elevating mechanism.

JOHN A. JOHNSON.- 

